LOWELL -- It all looked so promising for the Lowell High boys basketball team in the early going.

The Red Raiders scored the first eight points of the game in Friday night's Division 1 North quarterfinal against Everett. The first four came on a pair of emphatic two-handed dunks by senior Drew Healy.

The home crowd at the Riddick Field House was jacked up, and Lowell looked poised for a statement win.

Everett took a timeout to rejuvenate and returned to the court with a pulse. That was bad news for Lowell.

A response of epic proportions ensued, and seventh-seeded Everett climbed out of that early hole and rolled to a 56-48 victory over the No. 2 Red Raiders. The Crimson Tide finished the first quarter on a 14-1 run and built a 24-14 lead with 3:34 left in the second quarter.

"We saw the lights come on in that gym and we just froze the first couple of times down the court," said Everett head coach John DiBiaso. "We didn't rotate at the end of our press. We called a time out, went on that run and held it the rest of the way. The kids responded and did everything I asked them to do."

The Crimson Tide (16-6) will face No. 6 Lynn English in the semifinals on a date to be determined.

DiBiaso played 11 players and pressed for nearly the entire game. It disrupted Lowell's offensive flow in a big way, and the athletic Crimson Tide made the Red Raiders pay for their 26 turnovers.

Advertisement

"It wasn't so much what they did, more what we did," said Lowell head coach Scott Boyle, whose team finished 18-4. "The ball was sticking in our hands. Early in the game we were passing bang, bang, bang and getting layups. Even when they stopped pressing us and played man-to-man, we were just dribbling, dribbling, dribbling.

"They are a mirror image of us. They play 10 guys, they're fast. That's not a team we expect to beat easy. It was a game that if we knock down some shots, rebound and cut 10 turnovers off, we probably win the game."

Lowell never led after its 8-0 advantage was erased. The Red Raiders trailed 29-18 at the half and never got closer than six in the second half.

A Zaryn Green three cut the deficit to 52-46 with 1:40 left. But Clark and Gregory calmly sank free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice.

Everett had all the answers, aided by a little luck.

Forward Jahil Price banked a three -- his only points of the game -- just before the first quarter buzzer to give Everett a 14-9 lead. Point guard Gilly DeSouza swished a three from six feet behind the top of the key -- his only points -- as the third quarter buzzer sounded to give the Crimson Tide a 43-33 lead. That was after Healy's third dunk had the Lowell faithful going berserk.

"They made their breaks, those are like around-the-world shots," said Boyle. "It's hard because I think we have a team that was built to keep going. It just wasn't our night, and it's not because of effort."

As the Lowell players exited their postgame team meeting and came down the stairs at the Riddick, family, friends and fans were there to greet them with applause. A team that achieved more than most expected it to three months ago, deserved it.

"I'm proud of the way our guys played. They played extremely hard," Boyle said. "I had an outstanding group of (nine) seniors that stuck with the program, and I told them that means so much to me. It really is a great group of kids."

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.